Why and how to participate in arts and heritage?

On 17 and 18 March 2017, the conference ‘Participatory Practices in Arts and Heritage’ took place in Maastricht. The event, organized by Zuyd’s research centre Autonomy and the Public Sphere in the Arts (AOK) together with Maastricht Centre for Arts and Culture, Conservation & Heritage (MACCH), and the Jan van Eyck Academy, was attended by an international group of researchers and professionals from a diverse set of backgrounds, including policy makers, academics, legal and museum professionals. Key theme was participation in the arts, and the feasibility and desirability of addressing citizens in a variety of art practices – from participation in the museum and community arts, to digital forms of participation. In all these practices, participation was critically addressed: How to evaluate participatory art? Why is participation good? What legacy do such art works have? What about non-participation? With roundtable sessions, and keynotes by Gabriella Giannachi (University of Exeter), and Jeroen Boomgaard (University of Amsterdam), the program resulted in a lively debate throughout the two day-conference.